Nils Petter Molvær (), also known as NPM (born 18 September 1960), is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer, and record producer. He is considered a pioneer of future jazz, a genre that fuses jazz and electronic music, best showcased on his most commercially successful album, Khmer.

Biography Molvær was born and raised on the island of Sula, Møre og Romsdal, Norway, and left at age nineteen to study on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1980–82). He joined the bands Jazzpunkensemblet with Jon Eberson and Masqualero, alongside Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen and Tore Brunborg. Masqualero (named after a Wayne Shorter composition originally recorded by Miles Davis) recorded several albums for ECM Records, and Molvær recorded with other ECM artists before his 1997 debut solo album, Khmer. The record was a fusion of jazz, rock, electronic soundscapes, and hip-hop beats – and quite unlike the delicate "chamber jazz" typically associated with ECM.Geoff Dyer in The Observer Molvær's muted trumpet sound, sometimes electronically processed, had an obvious debt to Miles Davis's work of the 1970s and 1980s, but without being a slavish copy. For the first time, ECM released singles: "Song of Sand", backed with three remixes, and "Ligotage". In 2000, a second album followed, Solid Ether, after which Molvær left ECM. He has recorded several albums since, and has also produced film and theater music.

He often works with guitarist Eivind Aarset. He has also played with Tabla Beat Science, created by Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell.

Honors 1996: Kongsberg Jazz Award 1997: Spellemannprisen in the Open class 1998: Gammleng-prisen in the class Jazz 1996: Kongsberg Jazz Award 2000: Spellemannprisen in the Open class 2003: Buddyprisen 2005: Spellemannprisen in the Open class

Discography

In Masqualero 1983.10 – Masqualero – Odin Records (1983) (Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen, Jon Balke, Tore Brunborg, Nils Petter Molvær) 1985.08 – Bande À Part – ECM Records (1986) (Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen, Jon Balke, Tore Brunborg, Nils Petter Molvær) 1987.11 – Aero – ECM Records (1988) (Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen, Tore Brunborg, Nils Petter Molvær) 1989.12 – Re-Enter – ECM Records (1990) (Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen, Tore Brunborg, Nils Petter Molvær)

Solo 1996.04 – Khmer – ECM Records (1997) (Eivind Aarset, Morten Mølster, Roger Ludvigsen, Rune Arnesen) 1998 – Khmer: The Remixes – ECM Records (1998) 1998 – Ligotage – ECM Records (1998) 1999 – Solid Ether – ECM Records (2000) (Sidsel Endresen, Eivind Aarset, Audun Kleive, DJ Strangefruit) 2001 – Recoloured – EmArcy (2001) 2002 – NP3 – EmArcy (2002) (Eivind Aarset, Audun Kleive, Rune Arnesen, Raymond Pellicer) 2002.09 – Streamer – Sula Records (2004)(Eivind Aarset, Audun Kleive, Rune Arnesen, DJ Strangefruit, Jan Bang) (Thirsty Ear Recs - 2006) 2004 – Er – Sula Records (2005) (Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, Rune Arnesen, Helge Norbakken) 2005 – Edy (Bande Original du Film) – Sula Records (2005) (Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, Rune Arnesen) 2005 – Remakes – Sula Records (2005) 2005 – An American Compilation – Thirsty Ear (2005) 2007 – Re-Vision – ECM Records (2008) (Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, Audun Kleive) 2009 – Hamada – Thirsty Ear / Sula Records (2009) (Eivind Aarset, Audun Kleive, Jan Bang) 2011 – Baboon Moon – Sula Records / Sony Music (2011) (Stian Westerhus, Erland Dahlen) 2014 – Switch – OKeh Records (2014) (Geir Sundstøl, Erland Dahlen, Jo Berger Myhre) 2016 – Buoyancy – OKeh Records (2016) (Geir Sundstøl, Jo Berger Myhre, Erland Dahlen) 2020 – Stitches – Modern Recordings (2021) (Jo Berger Myhre, Erland Dahlen, Johan Lindström) 2023.05 – KHMER Live in Bergen – Sula Records (2025) (Eivind Aarset, Audun Kleive, Rune Arnesen, Jan Bang, DJ Strangefruit)

Collaborations 1990: So I Write, with Sidsel Endresen, Django Bates, Jon Christensen 1995: Hastening Westward, with Robyn Schulkowsky 1997: Small Labyrinths (recorded 1994), in Marilyn Mazur's Future Song 2005: Electra, in Arild Andersen Group 2008: Corps Electriques, with Hector Zazou/KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent 2013: 1/1, with Moritz von Oswald 2015: Infolding, in Spin Marvel (Martin France - drums, Tim Harries - bass, Terje Evensen - live electronics, Nils Petter Molvaer - trumpet, Emre Ramazanoglu - production and further drums) 2015: Høst: Autumn Fall (OST), with Mapping Oceans 2018: Nordub, with Sly & Robbie 2019: Music for Paintings, with Terje Evensen, Leo Abrahams, Anna Stereopoulou, Anthony Cox, Manongo Mujica 2023: The Harmony Codex with Steven Wilson 2024: Liminal Animals with Ulver

As featured artist 1990: Nonsentration - Jon Balke 1992: Night Caller - Rita Marcotulli 1993: Exile - Sidsel Endresen 1997: Brytningstid - Kenneth Sivertsen 1998: Électronique Noire - Eivind Aarset 2001: Radioaxiom: A Dub Transmission - Bill Laswell & Jah Wobble 2003: Digital Prophecy - Dhafer Youssef 2004: Seafarer's Song - Ketil Bjørnstad 2006: Mélange Bleu - Lars Danielsson 2007: A Pure Land - Sienná 2007: Ataraxis - Deeyah 2007: 23 Wheels of Dharma - Somma 2008: Dome - Johannes Enders 2008: Lodge - Fanu & Bill Laswell 2012: Manu Katché - Manu Katché 2015: Deeper Green - Christof May 2017: Hypersomniac - Lef 2019: Hyperuranion - Chat Noir 2021: Roses of Neurosis - Sivert Høyem

Also appears on Beginner's Guide to Scandinavia (3CD, Nascente 2011)

References

External links

Nils Petter Molvær Biography by Johs Bergh on Store Norske Leksikon